This was a long and positive relationship, and the 15% discount on travel on GWR trains that it secured for University and college staff was an excellent return on the roughly £2,000 we paid in annual membership fees.
Unfortunately, in spite of intense lobbying from easit and the University, GWR opted to withdraw the 15% discount on its services in 2019. This means that easit membership no longer represents value for money and the University has reluctantly withdrawn from the scheme, along with other major local employers such as Oxford Brookes and the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
However, we have managed to renegotiate a direct staff discount with GWR. This includes an 8% discount on travel from stations between Reading and Oxford, and a 5% discount on travel from stations between Banbury and Oxford; visit our rail travel discounts page to find out more. We are also working with local bus operators to secure a temporarily enhanced deal on top of the existing 10% discount on local bus travel to support the return to on-site working this summer.
More news will follow in the coming months; in the meantime, please email travel@admin.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions.
